Bruriah’s 34 Russian-language students competed in the annual Olympiada of Spoken Russian Language at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. Organized by American Council of Teachers of Russian (ACTR), the event provides students who study Russian with the opportunity to match their language skills against other students from throughout the northeastern United States. Some of Bruriah’s Russian-language students offered their post-Olympiada reflections: “Russian Olympiada is a one-of-a-kind experience. It’s something that we all worked very hard for all year and competing here today made all that work worth it. Whether you’re fluent in Russian, or you’re still learning, Olympiada is an opportunity to use your Russian skills and gain from them”; “Russian Olympiada was a challenging, once in a lifetime experience. To prepare for it we had to learn not only the language, but also a lot about Russian culture”; “The Russian Olympiada was very exciting for me. I worked hard in Russian class and wanted to show my accomplishments. I felt very well prepared for it.”

The students were among 80 high school students who competed. The competition was judged by faculty and students from Drew University.